Cynosurejobs Blog

5 ways to become a great mentor at work

Successful people usually attribute a part of their success to their mentors. A good mentor can actually guide and advice a mentee in reaching great professional heights. Here are five ways you can become a great mentor.

Be interested
Being a great mentor works only when you have genuine interest in your mentee. Choose your mentees well so that you happily invest time in the relationship. Understand the mentee’s background and narrative and help him fi gure out his current situation as well as dreams and aspirations.

Perceive
Be sensitive to the mentee’s environment and situation and use your understanding and personal experience to hear the things that the mentee did not share. Be perceptive in anticipating challenges and share from your life to encourage communication. Maintain confidentiality to increase trust.

Listen and learn
Establish a regular conversation with your mentee. Once a month works well. Find a common time and informal environment to meet. Give your mentee undivided attention and ask open ended questions to help the mentee speak freely. For best outcomes, constantly learn from your interactions.

Commit
Have an open door policy for your mentees to approach you and seek help when required. If they are serious and committed to their personal growth, use your network to make the appropriate connections for them. Be committed to fulfilling your promises to your mentees and hold them accountable too.

Give feedback
Ask questions before you advise. Be non-judgmental and drop biases before you give feedback. Be proactive and assertive in discussing areas of improvement. Figure out how your feedback chats can be structured for maximum effectiveness. Finally, encourage your mentees to take their own decisions.